A Stitch of Life | 繕い裁つ人 J-Film
Drama
Presented by JICC, Embassy of Japan and the Japan Commerce Association of Washington DC
From acclaimed director Yukiko Mishima of Bread of Happiness and A Drop of the Grapevine and starring Miki Nakatani, recipient of the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award at the 2015 Asian Film Awards.
Based on the original manga by Aoi Ikebe.
In a small, quaint town near Kobe stands a small dressmaking shop: la maison de couture Minami. The creations of its proprietress, Ichie Minami, are always in demand – unique items that are loved for their grace and nobility. Having inherited the business from her grandmother, Ichie continues to follow in her footsteps by using an old-fashioned sewing machine and following her dress patterns and designs.
Hearing about Ichie's superb skills, Fujii, an employee of a major department store, comes to her shop to try and convince her to create her own brand. When he explains his vision to have her designs mass-produced, Ichi flatly refuses to take part in "fast fashion", preferring to honor her grandmother's legacy by sticking to her designs. However, as Fujii continues to visit Ichie hoping to change her mind, he gradually comes to understand her philosophy and the meaning of her work. At the same time, Ichie begins to find her own outlook change as she starts to confront her own fears about designing her own work.
Starring Miki Nakatani, Takahiro Miura, Hairi Katagiri
WOMEN IN CINEMA
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
From an early age, Yukiko had a strong interest in filmmaking and made her first films as a teenager. After graduating she joined NHK as a documentary director. Her directorial debut came in 2008 with Shisei: Nioi Tsuki no Gotoku, the third part of a film series based on Tanizaki Jun'ichiro's short story, Tattoo. Her next film, Bread of Happiness, was released in 2012 to great acclaim and was followed in 2014 by A Drop of the Grapevine which premiered at the Montreal International Film Festival. Her next film, Girls, is based on the novel of the same-name by acclaimed crime-fiction writer Kanae Minato. It will be released in late 2016.
Japanese w. English subtitles | Not Rated | 104 min | 2015 | Dir. by Yukiko Mishima
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required for security purposes. Doors open 30 minutes prior to screening and will close once seating is full or promptly at 7:00pm. Registered guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee guests a seat.
To cancel your registration, please email jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp. Your registration is not transferable.